Batman (DC Comics | Red Son | Elseworlds)

Batman from the Elseworlds story Superman: Red Son first appears in the 2003 three-issue prestige miniseries written by Mark Millar with art by Dave Johnson, Andrew Robinson, Walden Wong, and Kilian Plunkett. In this alternate universe (Earth-30), Bruce Wayne's parents are political dissidents executed by Soviet police under Stalin's regime, an event witnessed by their young son, who vows revenge against the state and its enforcer, Captain Pyotr Roslov. As an adult, he becomes a terrorist and anarchist vigilante known as Batman, adopting a distinctive costume featuring a fur-lined ushanka hat integrated into his cowl, symbolizing his Russian origins and resistance against Superman's authoritarian Soviet rule.

This version of Batman views Superman's utopian regime as oppressive, leading him to commit acts of sabotage and inspire underground rebellion. He allies temporarily with Lex Luthor's American forces and Pyotr Roslov (despite personal hatred) to trap Superman using red sun radiation lamps to depower him, kidnapping Wonder Woman as bait. When the plan fails and Superman confronts him, Batman chooses suicide by detonating an explosive implanted in his body rather than submit to lobotomy and conversion into a compliant servant.

Batman's sacrifice exposes Roslov's treachery and inspires a legacy of "Batmen" resistance fighters who continue opposing Superman's regime long after his death. This portrayal reimagines the Dark Knight as a freedom fighter and antagonist to a well-intentioned but tyrannical Superman, emphasizing themes of anarchy versus enforced order, and remains one of the most memorable alternate interpretations in DC's Elseworlds line, later adapted in the 2020 animated film Superman: Red Son.

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